1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gas supplying header for supplying a cell reaction gas, such as a fuel gas or an oxidizer gas, to fuel cells, and relates to a fuel cell power system including the gas supplying header. The present invention is particularly applied to an oxidizer gas-supplying header in a fuel cell power system which is operated at a high temperature, such as a solid oxide fuel cell power system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A solid oxide fuel cell power system has been studied and developed extensively, because a power-generating efficiency is high, and a waste heat is utilizable although an operating temperature thereof is as high as about 900° C. in average. Since there is a limit to a power output from single cell in the solid oxide fuel cell power system, a plurality of cells are typically assembled. In order to ensure a high power output, it is necessary to eliminate the variation in temperature profile between cells. In effect, however, the temperature in a center area is liable to be higher, as compared with that in a peripheral area. This is because a heat generated with a power-generating reaction is liable to be confined in the center area but liable to be dissipated in the peripheral area.
It has been known to place a surface combustion burner within a power-generating reaction chamber as a measure for equalizing the temperature profile in the fuel cell in the solid oxide fuel cell power system (for example, see JP-A-2002-280053).